Special Shipment
by Nikkel
Summary: The Fire Lord asks Azula to take care of some cargo down at the docks... and it isn't ordinary cargo at all...


**Special Shipment  
><strong>_By Nikkel  
><em>(c) to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon Studios  
>620/2008

* * *

><p>Boots skidded across the sand, a wave of dirt and gravel leaping up in the air, the maker swiftly dodging the fiery blast. Lighting between her sharp fingernails her own flame began to form, a brilliantly lit blue, as she stomped her foot down and aimed at her target. The heat slammed against the metal shield, highlighting it white as the intense flames clawed at the opponent. He dropped the shield and let loose yet another fireball, when it collided with the sudden lightning bolt that could have come from the heavens themselves. The howl of thunder crackled through the air, hiding a scream of agony, as the man was thrown up against the stone wall from the shock. Panting, eyes tearing, he fell to his knees and began to beg for mercy. Cowering before his foe he felt her dark shadow cast over him. He felt her dragon eyes glaze over his beaten body, shaking with utter fear, and then how they finally left him.<p>

Azula brushed the sand off of her armor. She faced forward, victorious, striding up to the soldier that had called her. He had done so in the middle of the match—distracting, yes, but from who it was had caused the Princess to end the duel quickly. Her opponent had hardly put up a fight, so it would have ended soon anyways. But her mind was drifting away from the scrimmage and to what the soldier had called her for.

"Yes?" She questioned, perking an eyebrow.

"Lord Ozai requests your presence in his court, dear Princess." The soldier answering, bowing. Azula recognized the fellow as one of her father's higher servants, and that meant what he said was true. Even if all the guards swore allegiance to the Fire Nation and the royal family, one could never be too careful. Azula left the palace arena, leaving the man she had faced bloody and bruised, his cry still echoing down the corridor as she walked up the stone steps to the next floor. He had thought that she was going to kill him.

Dusk had approached fast since Azula had gone downstairs to practice her Firebending. Traipsing to Ozai with confident steps, she faintly wondered what he could need of her at this hour. If tonight she had not scheduled training, she would be up in her own study, counting the days until the eclipse arrived. She was secretly thrilled with knowing that an invasion was to come that day, and that all of the world's forces were coming to their doom. Even if the Day of Black Sun was still nearly a month away, the Fire Lord had his army in mint condition, ordering his generals to place their soldiers at their posts day and night. It was a smart move, and with all the whole military acting properly beneath his command, there was no obvious reason for Ozai to need his daughter. She had been plenty of use to him when tracking down her brother, who claimed to have successfully killed the Avatar. What more could he need of her?

The heavy marble doors slid open as she approached them, the darkly lit room much like the rest of the palace, especially at night. And behind a wall of flames the honorable Fire Lord resided in his gold throne, only a mere silhouette to the approached. Holding her head high Azula strolled across the crimson rug, stopping where the end came, and kneeled onto the hard, limestone floor. She bowed her head respectfully; ears open to listen to what he had to say.

"Princess Azula, you have permission to stand." The Fire Lord's voice thundered, and with a shadowed gaze he watched as she obeyed. "I have a proposition for you. Since you brought Prince Zuko home that had slain the Avatar and placed ex-general Iroh in chains, I still ask one more thing that you do for me. There is a special shipment coming in from the south port at this very moment. I would have asked you to go there earlier, but it appears the men cannot… handle the cargo."

Azula relaxed, her arms folding across her chest and perking a brow. She was in on all of the Fire Nation's politics and economy as much as any general, maybe more. "May I ask why I was not informed me of this 'shipment' earlier? I was told that all imports were in, so we would be ready for the eclipse."

"This shipment was late. And the cargo it beholds must be kept a secret. It is to be used as a last resort." Ozai replied, strictly calm before his daughter, although the bond that the two shared was hardly visible by the onlooker.

"I understand." Azula said in the same tone, and bowed herself out.

Not a few minutes later and riding one of the palace's kimodo rhinoceroses, the Princess arrived at the scene of flailing soldiers, running for their lives in every direction on the docks. They dodged the spitfire beams that shot out of the horizontal openings to a very large, steel crate, which had been enforced with cement and other metals tenfold. The roar that ripped the night apart intrigued Azula, feeling no fear to the monster that rattled the cage. She dismounted the rhinoceros, which had begun to panic, snorting and stomping all over the place. The moment she left it it tore off into the brush, squealing.

"Where is the general?" Azula yelled above the shrieking, hating the chaos. Nothing would be accomplished, even with the men that struggled to hold the beast by strapping the cage with chains. She got no reply as another ray of fire exploded out of the window at the top of the box, sending soldiers flying into the water or scorching them alive. It was plain to see that she would get no response. Then, as Ozai had put it, she would have to take the matters into her own hands…

Standing strongly on the ground, Azula raised her voice for all to hear, choosing the perfect moment between the monster's deafening howl and the men's pitiful screaming:

"_Stand back!"_

Her command reached the soldiers' ears. Confused and frightened beyond belief, they didn't know what they feared more—the beast's ungodly wrath, or the vicious Princess Azula's. The men holding the chains released their grip, making a run for it while they could. And at this order many of the remaining hid beneath the pier, peeking up and wondering what in the world a teenage girl could have at facing the malicious hellion they had brought from foreign shores.

A cool breeze rolled off the dark sea, brushing the strand of hair that refused to be tucked back. Azula raised her hand to make the action to put it behind her ear. The gigantic iron crate continued to thunder with booms and slams, struggling to get out of its cage, infuriated with being captured so easily. It thrust its massive body against the walls, forcing the bolts to pop from their sockets, forcing the enclosed box to be wide open. The thick chains still remained around its behemical neck and enormous ankles, strapped down, wings shackled to its own body. Feeling the ocean gale against its reptilian scales it raised its devilish head to the galaxies above, unleashing a pillar of flame from its bowels.

A dragon.

Taking action at once Azula leaped forward, a fierce blue-white scar erupting from her fingertips, blazing the dragon straight across the cheek. With a cry of provocation it whipped its coal black gaze to the Firebending prodigy, standing on the sand bank, daring it to make another move. The giant thrust its forelegs outward, shifting the floor beneath it that had served to the bottom of its prison, stretching its neck out to the attacker. Another bolt of lightning sizzled through the air, slicing the dragon across the muzzle, and was returned with a burst of red flame. What came up instead was a wall of ice blue, hardly seeming like fire at all. Bewildered, the dragon searched for the little pest, when a sudden pain ripped against its chest. Blood poured out of the wound as the dragon fell forward, breaking the chains that held it so tight, baring its many ivories to its tiny enemy.

The dragon hunched before Azula, her smirk proud and true, her amber leer catching the beast's obsidian one. A snarl rumbled in its throat, savage, and ready to strike. With cautious eyes it watched the girl step down from her pedestal, hands folded behind her back. Within only a few mere meters the monster stretched its neck and took a wicked snap to where it had believed his prey would be, only to crunch on thin air. It parted its jaws once again only to have a flick of embers strike the back of its throat. Crimson now flowed freely onto the sand, not only from the abrupt maw wound, but from the slash across its mighty white chest.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Azula strutted up to the wounded dragon as it rolled its cranium back and forth; studying its foe, desperate to figure out how such a small being had so much power. Golden glare melted with ebony, entrancing the beast, drawing it into a hypnotic stare. Subconsciously it lowered its head to the Princess, throat still emanating with a deadly growl as she continued to come forth, resting her naked palm on the tip of its nose. Without even realizing it the devil was being tamed, muscles relaxing, breathing steadily in and out. Sleep decorated in a soft aura fell over the metallic behemoth, soul melting before the amber gaze, falling right into its oblivion.

Lightning crashed into the dragon's skull, splitting it open, annihilating the poor beast before it had realized it was in death's clutches. Pregnant silence hung in the air, Azula still in position from when the bolt was fired, the sea breeze still blowing. The monster let out its final breath, collapsing majestically onto the docks, dead.

Several men peeked out from their hiding places, hardly believing what they just saw. A dragon had been slain before their very eyes, and by the legendary Firebending prodigy. A soldier rushed up to the Princess, who turned her back to leave them to deal with the mess.

"Princess! Princess Azula!" he called, and with faint interest Azula glanced at the soldier. "What are we to tell the Fire Lord?"

Azula smirked. "Tell him that we will never have a need for a last resort. We are the Fire Nation. We _never _fail."


End file.
